Theatrical



No. 6ll,054. I Patented Sept. 20, I898. L. J. CARTER.

THEATBICAL APPLIANCE.

(Application filed. Sept. 4, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

NTTno STATES Trice.

PATENT TH EATRICAL APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,054, dated September 20, 1898. Application fi led eptomber 4, 1897. Serial No. 650,593. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LINCOLN J. CARTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Theatrical Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to make an appliance by which the impression of movement and change of distance may be created on the mind of a beholder; and my invention consists in the process, features of construction, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a railway-locomotive; Fig. 2, a side elevation of a longitudinal section, taken on line 2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3, a rear elevation of a section, taken on line 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow; and Fig. 4, a plan view of a sect-ion, taken on line 4 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrow.

As is well known, in the construction and arrangement of theatrical scenery it is nec- 2 5 .essary to create impressions and illusions, so

as to impart an appearance of reality to the various scenes employed in a play. This is particularly the casein those scenes in which as far as possible realistic effects are attempted to be secured. times desirable to introduce a railway scene in which a locomotive or a train of cars is represented as advancing or receding--approaching or departing. To impart an appearance of reality to such scenes, it is necessary to create the impression or illusion of movement and change of distance in the minds of the beholders. It may be necessary in the scheme of the play to bring into view an approaching night-train, as a midnight express, in which the locomotive will at first appear at a great distance down the track and to be moving or advancing rapidly to the point-as, for instance, an open drawbridgewhere the scene culminates in some exciting incident. In this case the headlight of the locomotive should appear in the distance as a dim speck, gradually growing in size and brightness as the locomotive approaches. In other scenes it maybe necessary to show the locomotive backing down the track away In such plays it is somefrom the audience or to show a train departing from a station. In such cases the headlight or the rear lights of the train should first appear in their normal size and brightness and gradually grow smaller and dimmer as the locomotive backs or the train recedes. It is for the purpose, therefore, of creating the illusion or impression of distance and movement in such cases that I have devised the process and means hereinafter described.

For the purposes of my description I have concluded to illustrate my invention in connection with the idea of a train approaching in the night toward the objective point, immediately in front of the audience, where the scene culminates in its most exciting incidents, though I do not intend to confine myself to creating the impression or illusion of an approaching train, as by reversing the operation I can as readily create the impression of a receding or departing train. I may say also that I do not mean to limit myself to the particular mechanical means and appliances illustrated in my drawings and hereinafter described except where I may specifically claim the same, as many variations of such means may be employed to create the desired effects.

In the drawings, A represents the head of a locomotive, and a the pilot of the same. I have shown the headlight-box, as B, attached to the front of the locomotive. I arrange in the front of the box a glass plate or lens 0, back of which may be arranged a lamp 0 or any other proper source of illumination, as a gas-jet or incandescent light. The rear of the headlight-box is provided with a guide 1), adapted to be moved up and down in a vertical guideway 19, arranged in the front of the locomotive-boiler. A cord D, carried over a pulley d and down to a crank-shaft (1', en ables the headlight-box to be raised or lowered, as may be desired to suit the exigencies of an approaching or receding locomotive. Of course it will be understood that as the 10- comotive comes into View down along stretch of track-perhaps at a distance of several miles away-it will appear dim and low and near the line of the horizon, and as the locomotive approaches it will gradually assume a position of normal elevation in appearance 2 611,05&

to the eye, so that it will be at the proper height when it is immediately in front of the audience.

I mount on the crank -shaft a pulley E, around which a cord is wound and passed to a pulley e, arranged on a screw-threaded shaft E, located in bearings in the bottom of the headlight-box and passing through a movable block e',which is properly screwthreaded to receive it. At the front end of the screwthreaded shaft I arrange a friction-pulley F, contacting with a revoluble ring or frame F, in which the glass plate or lens of the locomotive is arranged so as to be rotated with it as itis revolved by the friction-pulley F. Behind the glass plate or lens is arranged a spring-arm G, carrying a brush, sponge, or swab g, adapted to contact with the rear side of the plate or lens. A cord 9 runs down from the spring-arm G through a hole in the bottom of the headlight-box to the movable block 6, so that as the screw-threaded shaft is turned the block 6 will be moved and the spring-arm and its brush or swab moved away from the axial center of the plate or lens against the tension of a spring or elastic cord G, which tends to hold the arm against the pulling strain of the cord g.

To illustrate an approaching train or locomotive, I cover the glass plate or lens of the headlight with some opaque substance--as, for instance, lampblack-so that it will operate as a screen and prevent any light showing through it to be visible to the audience. At the commencement of the operation with an approaching train the parts are so adjusted that the brush, sponge, or swab will be at the axial center of the disk or plate and with the headlight-box in its lowest position. By turning the crank H the headlight-box will gradually begin to rise, and the glass plate or disk will begin to revolve. The brush, sponge, or swab will remove the opaque substance at the center of the plate or lens, permitting a small light to be visible to the audience. As the crank is continued to be revolved the movable block e will move back along the screw-threaded shaft E and the spring-arm G be gradually moved away from the axial center of the glass plate or lens of the headlight. This will cause a gradual circular opening to be cleared of the opaque substance, so that the audience may see the light gradually enlarging as the locomotive approaches. This enlargement of the illuminated central portion of the plate or lens may be slowly or rapidly effected as it may be desired to create the impression of a slow or rapid approach of the locomotive. At the conclusion of the operation, when the locomotive is immediately in front of the audience, it will be understood that the aperture of the screen through which the light is displayed to the audience will be of full size, so that the headlight of the locomotive will glow in front of the audience in its utmost size and brilliancy, thus creating the impression of the presence of a full-sized normal headlight of a locomotive.

There the operation is intended to be reversed and the locomotive backed down the track or the rear lights of a departing train shown, the aperture in the screen through which the light is displayed will be of full size at the commencement of the operation and gradually diminish. I11 the way illustrated in the drawings I reverse the direction of the rotation of the crank II and associated parts and gradually apply an opaque substance to the plate or lens circumferentially around its outer edges and so as to gradually approach the center. At the same time the light is slowly lowered, so that at the conclusion of the operation the plate or glass will be entirely obscured and the impression created as when one sees the lights of a backing locomotive or a departing train disappearing in the distance below the horizon.

As a matter of fact, the approaching or receding locomotive or the departing train, which will be arranged in the scenery when the stage is darkened or obscured, may be standing stationary; but the impression or illusion of movement and change of distance will be created by increasing or decreasing the aperture in the screen through which the light or lights are displayed to the audience and by gradually raising or lowering the vertical position of the same.

\Vhat I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of a light-prod ucing device, an opening through which the light from the light-producing device is displayed to the eye of a beholder, and means for gradually increasing and decreasing the size of the opening through which the light is displayed, substantially as described.

2. The combination of alight-prod ucing device, a screen provided with an aperture arranged in front of the light-producin g device, and means for gradually changing the quantity of light displayed to the eye of a beholder, substantially as described.

3. The combination of alight-prod ucin g device, a screen provided with an aperture arranged in front of the light-producing device, and means for gradually changing the quantity and vertical position of light displayed to the eye of a beholder, substantially as described.

LINCOLN J. CARTER.

lVitnesses: v

THOMAS A. BANNING, SAML. W. BANNING. 

